Show-Me State Times

Anthony Breitbach, Ph.D., director of Interprofessional Education at Saint Louis University, has assumed the role of president of the National Academies of Practice (NAP). This marks a significant milestone as Breitbach becomes both the first SLU faculty member and the first individual from the profession of athletic training to hold this position.

The National Academies of Practice, established in 1981, is a non-profit organization dedicated to advising governmental bodies on healthcare matters. It stands out as the only interprofessional group comprising healthcare practitioners and scholars committed to supporting affordable, accessible, coordinated quality healthcare for all.

Breitbach joined Saint Louis University in 2000 and holds tenure as a professor. He was instrumental in establishing SLU's athletic training program and previously served as vice dean of Doisy College of Health Sciences. In 2024, he was appointed director of interprofessional education at the university.

Before transitioning to academia, Breitbach accumulated 22 years of experience as an athletic trainer in clinical practice. His roles included serving as the Billikens’ Head Athletic Trainer from 2000 to 2007 and coordinating services at multidisciplinary sports medicine clinics in Dubuque, Atlanta, and Milwaukee.

His involvement with NAP includes serving as the inaugural Chair of the Athletic Training Academy and President-Elect before his current appointment at the 2025 NAP Annual Meeting and Forum. Additionally, he holds key positions with several organizations such as the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP), Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC), Interprofessional.Global, and the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).

Breitbach also contributes to academic literature as an associate editor for journals including Journal of Interprofessional Care, Frontiers in Medicine, and Frontiers in Public Health Education and Promotion.